When I caught my wild appearance in the reflection of the pool and despaired over the state of my dress and hair, I sensed her confusion.
If you do not like your mane, then you should remove it. We can move more stealthily without it and the scent of it warns your enemies you are coming.
“Most of my enemies can’t smell me coming.”
Perhaps in your world they cannot, but in the realm of the gods, anything is possible.
“I’ll think about it,” I said insincerely. “In the meantime, I’d take a bath in the stream if I had something to change into.”
Why would you do that? The biting insects are not in season at this time.
“Yeah, well, I enjoy being clean.”
But the dust of the plain hides your scent. Ah, I see. You likely use your scent to attain the attention of potential mates. I suppose that is an acceptable rationale, though it will prove inherently dangerous on our journey. We should proceed with caution in that case.
I was unable to formulate a response, but she addressed my shock.
You do realize, of course, that you cannot hide your thoughts from me.
“That’s…that’s just wrong. It’s like having my mother watching over my shoulder.”
You do not like your mother.
“No. I do. It’s just that she’s—”
My inner voice interrupted. You do not. She does not notice your uniqueness. She wishes for you to conform to her standards and choices.
“Isn’t that what you want as well?”
She was silent for a beat.
Conforming is a reality for both of us. There was a long pause, and then she added, You are imprudently proud of this mane, and I sense you do not intend to follow my counsel.
“Right.”
Very well. You may keep your overly long mane, and if it causes you grief in the future, we will deal with it at that time.
“Thank you.” Under my breath I muttered, “Next thing you know, she’ll have me throwing out all my scented lotions, too.”
I could feel her incredulous bewilderment. You purposefully scent your skin so that any predator tracking you can locate you as easily as they would a rutting buffalo?
“Hey! I’ll have you know that my very expensive shampoos and lotions smell nothing like a rutting buffalo.”
She sighed. This merging of our minds is, I fear, going to be a lengthy process. If the cleansing and perfuming of your body holds a higher priority for you than our safety, then I would suggest that you have a tongue for a reason.
I started laughing. “You,” I gasped, “you want me to give myself a tongue bath?” A moment went by when I was trying to catch my breath and enjoying the sensation of giddiness alone, and then I could sense her wishing she could join me.
“What is it?” I asked as I tried to stifle the giggles. “Don’t you laugh?”
My kind experiences a quiet sort of satisfaction, but we do not act like monkeys bouncing up and down in a ridiculous manner.
“Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it.”
I will admit that the sensation of it is not unpleasant.
We found the niche where I’d slept the night before and I felt strangely comforted by her presence as I settled down, not nearly as bothered by the unforgiving surface beneath me as I’d been the first time. The warm light from the setting sun bathed my skin, and I basked in the feel of it. Part of me enjoyed it because it reminded me of the heat from Amon’s touch, but there was another part of me, the brand-new part I suspected, that relished in the residual warmth found in the stones surrounding my makeshift bed. A longing stirred within me that made me wish I could drowse in the heat of the day instead of bedding down for the night.
“You miss sleeping with the group, don’t you?” I said, reading her thoughts.
Yes, she admitted. You, on the other hand, prefer isolation.
“In most cases, yes.”
She seemed to be dissatisfied with my answer. After a moment, I added, “But I like having you with me now. Especially during the night.”
Nighttime is when we hunt. I’ll have to adapt to sleeping in the evening.
“Maybe we can try mixing it up a little. I don’t mind daytime catnaps.”
Catnaps. I like that word.
“So do I. Good night.”
Good night, Lilliana.
“Lily.” I shifted, finding a more comfortable spot. “Hey, what should I call you?”
As we are to become one, you do not need to have a name for me.
“I’d feel better if I could call you something, even if it’s only temporary. For the time being, why don’t you think of me like a sister.”
I could almost hear the soft catch of her breath. My twin sister was named Tauret.
“You had a twin?”
It is not uncommon with lions.
“It’s a pretty name.”
She was my hunting companion until she was slain. We were like two shadows in the night. Tauret was faster, but I was cunning, sharp, especially at rousting prey.
“What happened to her?”
We were at a kill. She was standing guard while I was eating. Hyenas finished her before our protector could drive them off. At least she’d been able to get out a warning before they overpowered us.
What would it have been like to lose a sister? A twin?
Do not waste your emotions on my former life. It is but a shadow of what I will become. Of what we will become.
“You can’t convince me that you truly believe that thinking about your sister is a waste of emotions. You loved her.”
Her thoughts danced away from me.
Having a lioness in my brain was confusing. I could see through both her eyes and mine at the same time. It was like splitting myself in half and trying to communicate ideas via tin cans connected with string. I could see how the servant Isis saved by gifting her with the powers of a sphinx lost her mind. All at once, with the very real presence of a lioness in my head, I understood what it was to live free and wild. No deadlines, no expectations, no distractions.
I wondered if it was going to be easier for me to adapt to her way of viewing the world than for her to make sense of mine. The human perspective was irritating to her. The rules were ambiguous. There was no sense of connection to others. She felt as if we buzzed in dizzying circles like gnats on the surface of a river—aimless, accomplishing nothing of substance, and bumping haphazardly from one obstacle to the next. Never seeing beyond the small habitat where we were born, lived, and died, never sinking into the depths of the river of life, content to exist only to cause our fellow creatures discomfort.
Rest now, Lily, she said, trying to shush my thoughts.
My mind quieted immediately and I knew that was purely thanks to her. When she decided it was time to sleep, it was time to sleep. She didn’t feel guilty about it. She took advantage of quiet moments when she could. Without rest, she wouldn’t have the ability to hunt effectively or feed her young or be alert when danger struck. We needed to refresh ourselves for what was to come. It was logical. It was simple. And it was possible, because of her.
As my eyes closed, I smiled, pleased at how easily she’d accepted me as just Lily. “You never told me your name,” I said as I yawned.
She replied so quietly, I wasn’t really sure she was answering my question. But then, as I felt the weight of the word settle in my mind, I knew that what she’d said was indeed her name and that, in a way, her name now belonged to me as well. The name she’d whispered was Tiaret.
Tia, I thought. How lovely.
Tia sensed something was wrong before I did. In fact, I had a difficult time rousing my mind enough to pay attention to what she was seeing.
What is happening, Lily? she asked, petrified. Every instinct she had said we needed to bolt.
It’s okay, I whispered, sending comforting thoughts. We’re in my dream and seeing what Amon sees in the netherworld. This is where we’ll eventually be.
A shadow
y creature with talons and batlike wings circled Amon overhead and, with a screech, plummeted toward him. At the last moment, Amon darted up a series of rocks and leapt, sand daggers materializing in his hands as he fell, and with a slashing motion, he disabled the creature’s wings and then raised the daggers high in the air. He brought them down, sinking them to the hilt in the neck of the beast.
With a feeble, final flap, the netherworld beast succumbed and a tired Amon slid from its back, found his leather pouch, and walked away, his armor dissolving into the sand. As he continued his journey, a thick bog appeared and the stench of decay assailed his nostrils. My eyes closed of their own volition, and I felt my mind sinking away from the vision, but Tia’s attention was riveted.
The mate you have chosen is brave.
Mmm, he is, I mumbled.
Your connection to him gives us an advantage. We can see the paths he wanders. I will track him more easily that way.
That’s good, I murmured, my words slurring and melting away like ice cream spilled on a hot sidewalk.
You sleep now, Lily. I will watch over him.
Okay. My body was feeling the effects of having nearly been crushed, though I now knew the lioness tried to be as gentle as possible in the process of our merging. Bruises covered nearly every square inch of my torso. There was no way I had enough energy to stay with Amon in my dreams. I was glad that she could, though, and I hoped I would be able to replay everything she’d seen while I was asleep.
When I woke the next morning, my tongue felt glued to the roof of my mouth and my body felt as sore as if I’d stood all night in one of those old-school vibrating-belt machines. I wasn’t sure if everything I’d experienced the day before had been one crazy dream. It certainly felt like a hallucination.
But then I felt her. Tia was…purring. There was no other way to describe it. It was a juddering sound that produced a contented hum in my mind. Her presence was a soothing weight I could feel in my chest, almost as if a house cat were cuddled up next to me.
I soon figured out the reason why she was so happy. She was content sleeping, yes, but there was something more. Something she was replaying in her mind. Images flashed, as real as if I’d been witness to them, of the dreamscape she’d been in when Amon fell asleep. “What? What did you do?” They hadn’t had much time before the connection was dissolved upon his waking, but the moments they did have together were…startling.
“You…you kissed him?” I exclaimed in shock.
To be perfectly accurate, he kissed me. A rather pleasant thing, actually.
“Why? Why would you do that? Didn’t you tell him it was you?”
I thought such a revelation might best come from you. The young man suffers enough as it is without us adding to his worry. Besides, I was curious. And once he learned we could make physical contact, he was so happy. I didn’t wish to do anything to dispel his good humor.
While I stood rooted in place, my mouth opening and closing as I tried to figure out what to do, Tia sleepily yawned. Her mind was open to me completely. I sensed she felt no shame or guilt regarding what had happened either. Unable to continue the conversation with the snoozing cat taking up space in my brain, I used our connection to replay it all.
In the dream I saw Amon’s sleeping body the same as always, but when he fell asleep, another version of him appeared. His real form was battered and bruised but his dream self was whole, strong, and just as handsome as I remembered.
His hazel eyes sparkled as he looked at me, and when he said my name in an almost reverent whisper, stretching out his fingers to mine, I could see his pulse quicken. He swallowed and took a step closer.
“How can this be?” he asked as I wrapped my hand in his, an expression of awe cross his face.
I was about to answer when I realized I couldn’t. Tia had. I heard my voice sounding cold and distant. “It must be the power of the sphinx that grants us the ability to see one another and touch.”
“I didn’t know this was possible.”
“Nor did I,” my voice said.
Amon slid his hands up my arms carefully, tentatively, as if touching me might break the spell.
My head tilted. Tia enjoyed the sensation of Amon’s touch but her heart didn’t leap as mine did just upon seeing his face. I felt the pull of my lips as Tia offered Amon a half smile. “That is enjoyable,” she said.
I laughed through a sob and pressed my fingers to my lips. Though what she’d said was strange, Amon didn’t seem to care. He blinked and I noticed an intense expression in his eyes that made them just a shade darker.
“You don’t know how much I missed you,” he said, sliding his hand up my neck to cup my cheek. Amon closed the distance between our bodies, and there was a brief moment when Tia stiffened, but the moment quickly passed. I felt the hum of Tia’s contentment as he stroked my—no, our—cheek with his thumb, and little tingles of sunshine from his touch both soothed and warmed our skin.
“I don’t know if I’m hallucinating or if some blessed miracle of the gods caused this to be, but I don’t care.”
And he kissed me. The press of his mouth against mine actually made me gasp. I was utterly transfixed, and seeing it through Tia’s memory was thrilling and yet upsetting. That he had kissed her and hadn’t known it wasn’t me stirred niggling feelings of jealousy, but seeing Amon and being with him in body if not in spirit was a gift. I felt his embrace as surely as if he held my heart in his hands.
The kiss became more passionate as Amon drew me close, fitting us together so tightly, it seemed as if nothing could tear us apart.
But something did.
Jerking his head up, he spat out a word I didn’t understand, and that was when I heard the screech of an animal nearby. Amon disappeared from my arms and the battered version of himself woke. Hurriedly, he got to his feet and spun around in a circle. “Lily?” he called. “Lily!”
The ground shook as a monster, all tooth and fangs, emerged from a chasm. Tia watched until morning, but he didn’t sleep again. I wondered exactly how this dream connection worked. The lioness was no longer awake herself, and yet I could not see any vision of Amon. The connection must only work when I sleep, I thought, and then only if I’m able to dream.
Tia had not lied when she’d said that Amon had been the one to instigate the kiss, and I found it interesting that I no longer felt jealous. Of course I wished it had been me and not Tia he was kissing, but being with Amon in any way was wonderful. A miracle. And Tia was the reason it was possible. I couldn’t resent her for that, or for liking the kiss. What girl wouldn’t enjoy being kissed by a gorgeous sun god like Amon?
Feeling grateful for her warm presence, I murmured, “You sleep. I’ll find breakfast.”
I didn’t feel Tia stirring until I was halfway back to the place where Isis had left us. I hoped Dr. Hassan was still there, and kept up a steady pace despite the ache in my body that was surprisingly less than it had been when I’d fallen asleep the night before.
We heal faster together was the first thing she said to me after halting my run and luxuriously stretching my arms and back, arching it like a cat before I was able to regain control of my limbs.
“Wh-what was that?” I stuttered as I tried to find my stride once again.
Did you not comprehend my meaning the first time?
“I heard you. I just don’t understand why I suddenly felt the need to stop and stretch when my muscles have been warm and loose from running.”
Oh. That.
“Yes. That. Are you taking over my mind?”
I assure you that your mind is just as intact and within your control as it ever was.
“Then how did you do that?”
I didn’t. You did.
“No. It wasn’t a conscious thought.”
It was. We thought it.
“What do you mean, we? I didn’t think it. You did.”
Perhaps it began that way. But your mind agreed and accepted. Do not be overly concerned. It is a g
ood sign. It means we are becoming one. Our minds wanted us to stretch. Therefore, we did.
“Maybe to you it’s a good sign. To me it feels like I’m being possessed.”
On the contrary. You were feeling secure. Relaxed. You were content with me. Your mind was free and at peace as you ran. That is how running feels for me. It was only natural that you felt more in tune with me during such an act, and your body responded to my mind smoothly and easily.
As harmonious as my run had been before, it now felt disjointed. Like I was in a three-legged race and couldn’t find my stride. To distract myself, I said, “I’m not mad. About Amon, I mean.”
I know.
“Just…wake me up next time that happens, okay?”
I will try, Lily.
“Thanks.” As I ran, I began to wonder what other things had changed about me now that I was a sphinx.
What is it? Tia asked.
“It’s just that, well, I kind of thought becoming a sphinx would mean I would, you know—”
Look like a monster?
“No. Yes. I guess in a way.”
The images you have of a sphinx in your mind are largely inaccurate, though I must admit I would have preferred to keep my fangs and my claws.
“Claws would have been a nightmare for my manicurist. So other than having you in my head, what about me is different?”
Heightened senses, for one. This began when the spell was enacted, though it became permanent when I accepted you.
“Hold on. You…accepted me?”
Yes. All the lionesses were aware of the spell the moment it was cast. We gathered in the clearing to assess our compatibility. Each cat was given the choice to cast off her form and merge her consciousness with you, but I was the one who could hear your thoughts the clearest. My sisters bowed to my claim and I began the hunt to assess your worthiness.
“So even then you might have killed me?”
If I deemed you undeserving, then yes.
“What were you judging, exactly?”